HIST 217(S) Jews and Christians in Medieval Europe (Same as Religion 214)*

The relationship between Jews and Christians in medieval Europe was extremely complex and marked by many contradictions. Though they comprised distinct communities with distinct cultures, to a great extent Jews and Christians lived side-by-side in relative harmony through the twelfth century. After that point, conditions for Jews deteriorated; restrictions on Jewish economic activities and social interaction, ritual murder charges, the trial and burning of the Talmud, and forced sermons and disputations culminated in the expulsion of Jews from much of Western Europe in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. But even during that precarious time, the two communities continued to influence each other. This class will explore positive as well as negative encounters between Jews and Christians in the Middle Ages and wrestle with the difficult question of why Latin Christendom ceased to tolerate the Jewish community in its midst. Subjects will include social relations, economic ties, intellectual and cultural exchanges and influences, the Crusades, the influence of converts/apostates, the attack on the Talmud, changing images of The Other, Christian missionizing, and the expulsion from Western lands. Evaluation will be based on class participation, two short papers, a midterm and a final exam. Groups B and D

Hour: KLEPPER